As far as we know, it’s the most direct evidence linking the virus to the disorder so far – analysis of the child’s brain tissue revealed evidence of Zika infection, suggesting it had crossed from the mother into the child via the placenta, the organ that nourishes the baby until birth. The The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, announced new guidance for doctors whose pregnant patients may have traveled to regions with a tropical illness linked to birth defects.
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While not diminishing the concern surrounding Zika, Arias feels the WHO’s warnings are somewhat over exaggerated.
Below is a list of counties with patients who have contracted the Zika virus in other countries.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who leads the infectious disease arm of the National Instiutes of Health, told lawmakers last week that he would not advocate for postponing the Olympics and that each athlete can make their own decision whether to attend.
“We strongly suspect Zika infection during pregnancy is associated with birth defects such as microcephaly”, said Thomas Friedrich, a UW-Madison professor of pathobiological sciences.
Laboratory test for Zika virus has adopted in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, according to local authorities on Wednesday.
County health officials said the individual had recently traveled out of the country and had fully recovered from a “mild” case of Zika.
“I know the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil is of concern to many of you”, wrote USOC CEO Scott Blackmun in a letter sent to prospective Olympians.
The Obama administration’s request for funding, made Monday, would allow for an expansion of mosquito-control programs, speed development of a vaccine, develop diagnostic tests and improve support for low-income pregnant women. “At the moment, we do not have this type of mosquito and we will continue to be on the lookout for it”, he said.
A news release from the Pennsylvania Department of Health on February 5 explained that, citing the CDC, “because there now is no vaccine or treatment for Zika virus, the best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to prevent mosquito bites”.
The ministry said Brazilian researchers found the virus in the body of a 20-year-old woman in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte, who died last April from respiratory problems.
Similar brain malformations were also reported in a recent study of 35 Brazilian babies with microcephaly.
The U.S. blood supply is also being monitored closely. “The chances of getting Zika from a mosquito in Louisiana are very small”.
Kristin Weivoda, Yolo County’s emergency medical services administrator, would not disclose the identity or sex of the infected person or where he or she had traveled to.
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An autopsy of the fetus uncovered particles of the Zika virus, along with a significant amount of viral genomic RNA in the brain but not in other organs.
